A Little Bit Longer
by xxSelenaLoverxx
Summary: Shane loved Mitchie, Mitchie loved Shane. But there was only one problem: Nate. He hates Mitchie. But what happens when they must put aside their differences to make their family happy? Will their growing friendship become something more? Total Nitchie!
1. Misunderstood

Chapter One

Mitchie

_Girl, you got me going crazy  
Knock me off my feet  
Now you've got me beggin, baby  
Beggin, baby, please  
All I wanna know is do you wanna get away  
Get away with me  
Cuz girl, I don't know what to do  
Cuz I'm so in love with you_

I stared in digust as Shane grabbed the microphone and got down on his knees to sing to some random girl in the crowd. Did he NOT realize that he had a girlfriend? Having a rockstar boyfriend could be _extremely_ annoying. With all the girls going goo-goo-ga-ga over him, it made me want to puke.

"And this one's dedicated to a very special friend of ours, Mitchie Torres!" Nate cries into the mic. I smile. He was always so nice to me, even if he didn't exactly LIKE me that much. I sigh as the song begins.

_Well, here we are again  
Throwing punchlines, no one wins  
As the morning sun begins to rise, we're fading fast  
And we won't work this out_

Huh. I'd never heard this song before. Maybe Shane wrote it for me?

_No, we're not gonna work this out tonight  
(We won't work this out)  
No, we're not gonna make this right  
So I'll give a kiss and say goodbye  
(Give a kiss goodbye)  
'Cause we're not gonna work this out  
Tonight_

_Cool song,_ I think, as they begin to sing the second verse, _I wonder why they dedicated it to me? Hm. Must be Shane, _I decide, bobbing my head with the beat. Shane could be a pain, but he was always such a great boyfriend (besides the whole flirting factor). The song finishes and all of us burst into applause as the band runs off the stage. I skip over to talk to them.

"Shane!" I squeal and jump into his arms. He kisses the top of my head.

"Hey Mitch. How'd you like the show?" He asks. I smile wide.

"I LOVED it! The song you wrote for me was great." I tell him as he sets me down. He looks confused.

"Uh, I didn't-" He starts.

"So anyway, it's so great to be back at camp, don't ya think?" As him and I walk off towards the lake, Nate gives me a weird look. I shake it off and act like it never happened.

Or at least, I try to.

Nate

Damn it, Shane! DAMN IT!

I wrote the friggin' song, not him! Mitchie, you b-

"Hey bro, wanna get something to eat?" Jason interrupts. Geez, perfect timing, eh?

"Not really. I think I'll just head back to the cabin." I tell him. He shrugs, and replies.

"Suit yourself. I hear Connie's makin' lasagna. Your favorite." He twirls around and starts walking to the dining hall, a posse of five girls trailing after him. I laugh and turn to go back to my cabin, but I see the piano in the rehearsal room and decide to check it out. Sitting down on the bench, my fingers begin to skitter across the keys.

_Got the news today  
But they said I had to stay  
_

_A little bit longer and I'd be fine  
When I thought it'd all be done  
When I thought it'd all been said  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine_

But you don't know what you got 'til it's gone  
And you don't know what it's like to feel so low  
And every time you smile or laugh you glow  
You don't even know, no, no.  
You don't even know.

Mitchie

As Shane and I laugh and run past the rehearsal room, I hear the familiar sound of the piano being played.

_So I'll wait 'til kingdom come.  
All the highs and lows are gone.  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine.  
I'll be fine_

The sound is so beautiful, I stop and lean in closer. I hear the bench slide out and footsteps cross the floor, approaching the door. I duck around the corner so the person doesn't see me. Nate? It's Nate? Wait, so does this mean that….

Shane didn't write the song?

It was _Nate?_

So many questions are fluttering through my mind that I don't notice Nate come up behind me.

"Hey, Mitch." He says coolly. Does he suspect I heard him playing? I hope not.

"Oh, hey Nate." I reply, willing my voice not to shake. He smiles.

"So…like the song?"

_Like the song? Like the song? _He knows I heard him? Yikes!

"Um…but I didn't hear it…." I begin. He laughs.

"What are you talking about? You were sitting in the audience the whole time we played. _Tonight, _remember?"

Tonight! He was talking about the _other _song. I breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Yeah! Shane did I great job, didn't he?" I grin. Nate's smile fades instantly.

"_Shane? Shane _did a great job?" He hisses, turning away. I bite my lip.

"Well, you did too-" He spins back to face me.

"I WROTE THE FRIGGIN' SONG! NOT SHANE!" He screams. In that moment, I feel so small and helpless that I don't even yell back. I just let him keep going.

"Shane, this, Shane that! IT'S ALL ABOUT SHANE! AM I INVISIBLE OR SOMETHING?" He shouts. I shrink back a few steps. He glares at me.

"And I actually thought we could be friends." He spits, storming away. I watch him go, my body overwhelmed with a feeling of anger. He hardly knew me! It wasn't fair to hate me from first site! I stuck my tongue out at his back and spun around to leave. Shane was probably wondering where I was, anyhow. _He _was my boyfriend, not NATE. So why did I care what Nate thought of me?

I honestly didn't know.

Nate

I stomp across the lawn and down to the dock, where Shane is standing, searching for Mitchie, no doubt.

"Hey bro, your bitch of girlfriend is back by the rehearsal room. Oh, and tell her to get a life, would ya?" I snap before running down to the end of the dock and diving head-first into the water. The coolness wraps around me like a comforting blanket and I swim deep down and out across. I feel so free in these few moments, that I don't ever want them to end. Swimming always clears my head when I stress. It's 

like my heaven on earth. When I bob up from under the water a half-hour later, the one and only Tess Tyler is standing over me on the dock.

"_Nate?" _ She squints to make sure it's me. I smile fakely at her.

"Ah, Tess, it's nice to see you again, too." I smirk. She looks taken aback.

"Well geez, Nate. It's not my fault Mitchie hates you." She snaps. Then she peels off her clothes (and yes, she's wearing bathing suit. I'm not THAT perverted). Before I know it, she's screaming "Heads up!" and diving in after me. I quickly twist around and swim after her, laughing. "Tessss!" I call, diving down and grabbing her foot. A burst of bubbles escapes from her lips and we both emerge to the surface, laughing.

"I hate you." I tell her and splash her. She yelps.

"Hey!" And splashes me back. We keep laughing and splashing and swimming around until Jason walks down the dock and calls my name.

"Nate! Uncle Brown wants you, me, and Shane to meet him in our cabin. Come on!" He motions for me to come, and turns to walk away.

I look over at Tess, who shrugs.

"Go ahead. I don't mind." She tells me. I kiss her cheek.

"Thanks." I look back at her one more time before swimming to the shore and taking my shirt off to let it dry. She waves goodbye, and I trudge over to the cabin I share with my brothers, where, to my surprise, Shane, Jason, Brown, Connie, and Mitchie are sitting with my….dad?!

"Dad?!" I cry. He grins.

"Hey son! Long time no see." He tells me. We quickly hug and I sit down between Jason and Brown.

"So…I bet you're wondering why we called you all in here." Connie stands up and claps her hands together, teacher-style. I cover my mouth to surpress my laughter. "Last year, for Mitchie's birthday, her father and I took her to a Connect 3 

concert. I was walking back from the concession booth to our seats when I ran into someone…" She smiles at my dad. Weird.

"Long story short, I introduced myself as Evan Gray, we really hit it off, and well…." Dad trailed off before reaching for Connie's left hand and holding it up. When we saw what was on it, all four of us kids gasped.

"We're getting married!" Connie grinned the biggest grin I've ever seen in my entire life. "Which means…"

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE STEP FAMILY!" Dad cried, hugging Connie.

Mitchie and I both jumped up at the exact same time a yelled in perfect unison. "WHAT?!


	2. Love VS Pain

Chapter Two

Nate

Mitchie turns and gives me an icy glare that would scare the living hell out of any normal person before running up to her mom. "But mom, you don't understand. N-"

"Oh, I know it will be strange at first, honey, but you and the boys will be such great friends! Right, sweetie?" Connie looks at my dad. He nods. I walk up beside Mitchie, not caring that our arms were practically touching. Okay, so maybe I do care, but not in a good way. Oh god, I'm a bad liar. I'm loving the whole thing.

"Dad, really, is this necessary? I mean, considering what just happened…." I start. He ruffles my hair.

"Son, it'll be fine! Trust me." He takes me under his arm and leads the whole group outside. I spot Tess sitting by the bonfire alone and decide to go talk to her.

"Hey, um, I'll be right back." I tell everyone, and go to sit down beside Tess. She looks up when she hears my approach.

"Hey Nate." She sighs, laying her head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her.

"You okay?" I ask her. She lifts her head up and stares at me.

"I think the question is are YOU okay? I heard what went down in there. You and Mitchie yell pretty loud." She looks away, resting her head in her hands. I hate seeing her so uncomfortable. It makes me feel like a jerk.

"It's nothing. Really. Mitchie and I can learn to deal with each other." I take her hand and caress it with my thumb. "Don't worry. This isn't going to change anything between us."

She sighs again, more deeply this time, before turning to face me. "But Nate, the point is, it _will. _I know how you feel about Mitchie. Whether you try to hide it or not, nobody can deny true love. I don't know what she thinks of it, but if you really like her, I'm not standing in your way. I want you to be happy," she says, stroking my cheek. I smile softly.

"Thanks, Tess." I reply quietly. Then, without thinking, I lean in slowly and kiss her gently on the lips. She kisses me back. After we pull away, I wrap my jacket around her and we sit in silence, watching the evening sun slowly settle over the lake.

Mitchie

The inside of my head wants to burst out my ears when I watch Nate kiss Tess. Why?? Why me?? I shouldn't care! How was this bothering me so much? It's not like I liked Nate…right?

I shudder at the thought before grabbing Shane's hand.

"Hey." I tell him quietly. He turns to me and smiles.

"Come on. I wanna show you something." He leads me through the trees and bushes until we reach a small, cozy looking cabin surrounded by lush greenery and the light of the setting sun sparkling through the leaves.

"It's beautiful." I say, grinning. "What is it?"

"You'll see." He pulls me through the door and inside. A plush, woven carpet sits on the floor, and there is a warm fire crackling at the end of the room. A few comfortable chairs sit around it and a queen-sized bed covered in thick quilts lines the opposite wall. I gasp.

"This..this is amazing." I sigh in awe, walking around the room. Shane comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.

"Glad you like it." He replies, kissing my neck. I spin around and he pulls me closer, pressing his lips softly against mine. Eventually, he presses me back against the chair and we are in a full-on make out session. I imagine that this moment can't get anymore perfect, until a loud ringing sound interrupts us.

"Ugh. One second." Shane explains, answering his phone. "Hey….right now? Do I have to? …..I do. Okay, I'll be right there." He closes his phone and smiles apologetically at me. "One of the guys in the band's having a problem with his guitar. Wait for me?" He begs. I grin.

"Sure. I'll be here." He kisses me once more before closing the door behind him. I pace slowly around the room, looking for something to do. I spot a guitar in the corner and sit down to play. The first thing that comes to mind is an acoustic version of a song I'd written awhile ago.

_I've always been the kind of girl_

_That hid my face_

_So afraid to tell the world_

_What I've got to say_

_But I had this dream_

_Bright inside of me_

_I'm gonna let it show, it's time_

_To let you know_

_This is real_

_This is me_

_I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now_

_Gonna let the light_

_Shine on me_

_Now I've found who I am_

_There's no way to hold it in_

_No more hiding who I wanna be_

_This is me_

Nate

As I stroll through the woods on the way to the dining hall, I pass a small cabin with the light of a fire shining through the window. I decide to see who's inside and close the door silently behind me. The first thing I hear is the strumming of a guitar. The second is a very familiar set of lyrics.

_But you don't know what you got until it's gone_

_And you don't know what it's like to feel so lost_

I listen for a while, before singing the words too, softly, so beautifully that the person can't help but hear me.

_And everytime you smile or laugh you glow_

_You don't even know _

_No, no_

_You don't even know_

_No, no_

_You don't even know_

My voice must of registered in the person's head, because a few seconds later a head full of silky brown hair turned to face me.

_Mitchie._

I expected her to give me another death glare, but instead, she smiled gently.

"I guess you know now that I heard you singing, huh?" She laughs quietly, her eyes sparkling. I smile.

"Glad you like the song." I tell her. "The truth is, I kinda wrote it…." _This is it. Tell her now, _my head screamed. I shake it off, and gatherthe gut to say it. "I wrote it…for you."

She sits there, shocked, for what seems like forever, before standing up slowly. I think she is going to bolt out the door, but instead, she silently walks up to me.

"That," she grinned softly, "is the sweetest thing I have ever heard."

"You see, that's funny coming from you, considering you hated me about five seconds ago."

She laughs, and picks up the guitar that is still sitting on the chair behind her. Instead of starting to play it, though, she hands it to me.

"Play something for me." She grins, and sits down in front of the fire cross-legged, looking eager. I grimace.

"I don't think so."

She tilts her head to the side. "Please??"

I look into her bright eyes, and see something that makes me want to give her everything. Anything. I can't explain it, the feeling I have….

"Fine." I place the guitar strap over my shoulder and sit down next to her. "Ready?" I ask her.

"Ready." She replies, and I begin to play.

_If the heart is always searchin'_

_Can you ever find a home?  
I've been looking for that someone,  
I'll never make it on my own.  
Dreams can't take the place of loving you,  
There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true_

Demi smiles softly and closes her eyes, listening carefully to my music.

_When you look me in the eyes,  
And tell me that you love me.  
Everything's alright,  
When you're right here by my side.  
When you look me in the eyes,  
I catch a glimpse of heaven.  
_

_I find my paradise,  
When you look me in the eyes._

Mitchie

After Nate finishes the final notes of the song, I open my eyes to find him staring at me. I smile awkwardly. "What?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing, nothing. There's just something…." He starts, but shuts his mouth before he says something embarrassing (trust me, I know this because my dad does it ALL THE TIME).

"You can tell me, Nate. I don't mind." I rest my hand on top of his. He shudders under my touch and looks away.

"I can't. It's not right. I mean, you're my _stepsister._ It would be weird…." He stutters, resting his head against the chair behind him. I give him a confused look.

"How would it be weird?" I ask quietly. He gives me a blank, flat look.

"It's hard to explain." He starts, shaking out his thick curls. "When you started dating Shane….it's hard to explain how jealous I was. He took you for granted, he didn't care. It made me sick. And he took advantage of you. Tried to make me angry. I was so mad at him, I can't even describe it. And the fact that you don't even notice…." He glares at the floor. I sit there in silence, not able to come up with reply.

"Yeah, I do get it. Shane's cute, he's funny, he's a great singer! Big whoop. My brother is, and always will be, a jerk." He stands up and turns to leave when all of a sudden, the door swings open and in walks the one and only Shane Gray.

"Would like to re-hash, little brother?" He hisses, stalking up and towering over Nate. I shrink back into my chair, not wanting to get involved.

"No, not really, Shane." Nate says calmly. This gets Shane even more aggravated. He throws a fist and Nate's face, who takes the blow right in the nose. Blood starts pouring out and grips his jaw in pain.

"Shane, not now." He pleads. Shane clenches his teeth.

"Yes, now, Nate." He punches him again and throws him to the ground before kicking him in the side repeatedly. Then he pins him down and punches his face more times than before. I can't take it anymore. I jump up and pull Shane off of Nate. By now, his nose is completely broken, plus a black eye and two teeth knocked out. I press my hand to his cheek and he smiles weakly. But abruptly, the smile vanishes and he shoves me off of him just in time.

"Arghhhh!" Shane cries and lunges for Nate. Nate takes a sharp blow to the head and slowly, dreadfully, his eyes close. Satisfied, Shane turns to me.

"You useless, good-for-nothing bitch!" He grabs me and throws me against the wall. I scream as my head starts to bleed madly. He slams my face into the wall again, and I fall to the ground, helpless. It seems like a matter of seconds before I'm lost in pain, and I curl up on the ground, sad, mad, and most of all: afraid.

**Yay! So what did you guys think? Got kinda sad at the end, I know. Please please review! I got 5 reviews last chapter. 5! You guys can do better than that. My goal is 15 reviews for this chapter! So please! Hope you liked it!**


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